The Hundred 2025 began with one-sided match where Oval Invincibles dismissed London Spirit for a mere 80 runs at Lord's. This was the first match since the ECB removed the contentious white Kookaburra balls featuring the huge 'H' logo that had generated a lot of controversy in the previous season. Though the balls were replaced, they didn't help the batters much during the first game. The pitch was slow, and runs appeared to be difficult from the beginning. Rashid Khan, in his debut Hundred match, made a huge difference. He picked 3 wickets for a mere 11 runs, assisting Oval Invincibles in dominating. "It was a tough wicket to bat on," Rashid Khan commented after the game. Sam Curran also took 3 for 18 in 19 balls, with Liam Dawson finishing 2 for 9 off 20 balls. London Spirit's Ashton Turner was the leading scorer with 21 runs from 14 balls, but the rest of the batting collapsed. Oval Invincibles chased the score comfortably, winning with 6 wickets and 31 balls remaining. Also Read | Fox Interrupts Play at Lord’s, Crowd Erupts in Cheers ECB Acts on Player Grievances, Cancels Hundred-Labeled Ball The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has chosen to discontinue the use of the white Kookaburra balls that featured the big 'H' logo printed on them. The balls were utilized for the first four seasons of the Hundred. Most players felt that they were not like normal balls, attributing low scores and additional swing to them. In an interaction with the Cricketer, Moeen Ali stated: "The seam seems to be massive. Every game, it seems the ball is nipping. Most teams are 30 for 5 in most games." The ECB conducted multiple tests during the winter but discovered nothing serious. But data from ball-tracking indicated higher seam and swing movement at the beginning of games in 2023 than in 2022. Experts associated this to weather, conditions of the pitch, and the Hundred's structure, under which bowlers can bowl 15 of the first 20 balls. Although the ECB explained that the balls were produced in the same manner as others utilized during white-ball cricket in England, the persistent criticism from players prompted a change. The same batch of balls utilized during the T20 Blast will now be utilized during the Hundred during the 2025 season. The ECB hopes that this change will result in more scoring games and batter-friendly conditions, even though the first match failed to show that modification.